#and this folks is why we make sure out closures are straight so we don't watch full seasons of dropout's game changer

[vaimetanyx]

Part three - refusal of the call

Because, and I can't stress this enough, there is no way these greaves can be worn without stabbing your own feet when you move, let alone dash. So here's my non-foot destroying version!

(Full process under the cut)

[Skull pauldron] [Belt] [Greaves] [Toga + sash] [Wig + Laurels] [Armbands] [Flaming feet] [Satyr Sack] [Stygius v1] [Stygius v2] [Nectar]

To start off with, more pattern making!

(And remember, if you don't want to suffer needlessly, make your back closure straight. Don't be like me)

Once you have you have your pattern (WITH A STRAIGHT BACK SEAM) then it's time to cut it out of foam, contact cement it together, and heat shape. This was my first time making any sort of fitted armour so I tried them on and held them closed with masking tape. Terrible Hozier socks are courtesy of @afternoon-softea

Next up, skulls! As per my previous posts, I cut out the pattern, contact cemented the pieces together, dremelled the edges and added depth + tidied things up with foam clay.

Now I made a hero's journey joke about refusal of the call at the start of this post but genuinely I had so much trouble with these bevels/ridges/whatever, and even the finished product still looks super rough if you focus. I was so mad and focused while doing them I don't even have progress pictures, but here's the end look with an unflattering closeup on the bevels.

But they ended up getting done, which meant time to heat seal and plastidip! The original paint I was going to use for them turned out to look absolutely terrible, so I had to do a late night Bunnings trip to get an actual nice metallic grey. I then did some shadows around the skull and painted the eyes black, and proceeded to forget to take photos of any of that.

Painting! late night bunnings trip to get a decent one bc the spray paint you originally picked was terrible! Black in the eyes, a little bit of dry brushed highlights and shading and that part's done! Forget to take photos again!

For the closure, I knew I didn't want to have an obvious zip so I could match the art more accurately, so I thought 'hey, I'll just super strong velcro!'

...

If your closure. Isn't even. You will have so much trouble keeping it closed properly. No matter what you use. Version 1, which I wore to my first convention in this cosplay, had an internal velcro closure and some on the edges to try and get it to sit evenly at the seam. it sort of worked. I also did this before painting and then had to redo the edge velcro since the velcro got clogged up with plastidip and paint.

I later went to modify this and still use velcro! It didn't work! so I decided fuck this all, and made it lace up using spare hook and eye closures I had lying around, held together and shaped with a LOT of hot glue.

I was originally going to use some black string I had, but it couldn't handle the tension needed to keep it closed flush, so I changed to fishing line. I also added some more highlighting and shadows on the skull part

The tension did rip off a few of my tiny hook and eye closures during the con, and I had to cut myself out of them at the end of the day, but they did end up sitting much better (and no annoying velcro sounds if I moved too much and put pressure on the closure). I kinda want to remake them now knowing what I do about making cosplay armor, but who knows when I'll have time to do that. They're good enough for now, especially considering the amount I walk into things on a daily basis.

[countdown-to-destruction]

Inuyasha Sequel: a rant

Put this up this earlier on a post I re-blogged, tried to edit a part or two where I didn’t like the way I had phrased it, and ended up messing up the whole format I wrote this in. Luckily I wrote this as a draft earlier anyways! So I did a some fixing and now I’m just copy-pasting it again and making it a text post instead. This will be very long and a little nit-picky but I wanted to make a post ever since I heard about the upcoming sequel to Inuyasha, Hanyō no Yashahime. I did put a TLDR at the end for those who don’t want to read everything. Not sure how many people in the fandom still follow me and will see this, as it's been a long time since I was actually active in the fandom, but it's hands-down both my favorite manga and anime of all time and I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately so I had to post something. Before reading this be sure to read all of the translated character bios for Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha so that this makes sense.

When I first heard that Inuyasha would be getting a sequel I was excited! But after reading up on it, to be completely honest I'm not feeling this sequel anymore. I know it’s an unpopular opinion but hear me out. Firstly, it seems like Rumiko is mostly involved in the character design aspect and the writing is up to Katsuyuki Sumisawa. The music will be produced by Kaoru Wada which is great! And from what I’ve seen and read online a number of others who worked on the original series will reunite so hopefully the story will go well. However, knowing Rumiko isn't personally writing and not knowing how much input she has or will give makes me unsure about watching. The original Inuyasha anime followed and was based off of the events in the manga, and there was no manga prior to this for it to be based on. Depending on what happens this could be an alright sequel or a total miss. Unfortunately sequels in general are known to be disappointing in some way. 

Secondly, if I hear anything about Rin being the mother of Sesshomaru's twin daughters I'm out. This part will be a SUPER long and in depth explanation on why I think this way, feel free to skip if you're not interested. Please don't come for me on this, I'm here to explain my thoughts and feelings on the sequel and the theories around it so far, not start an argument. I'm more than aware that there's plenty of controversy out there on this pairing and personally I do not support it. I never saw their relationship as more than a friendship, or something akin to child and guardian as Sesshomaru and Jaken are basically Rin's caretakers up until she goes to live in the village with Kaede. He definitely cares for her deeply but I can't see it in a romantic way, being that Sesshomaru isn't even a character focused on romance to begin with. He learns compassion through Rin's second death but that doesn't mean he loves her romantically. As a reminder his main goal is to seek power and be powerful, and it's stated that he needed to learn compassion and grief in order to mature. It's what helped him learn to wield the Tenseiga at its full potential. In addition, she was really young when they first met and still was when she went to live with Kaede. The idea of Sesshomaru (an adult) having romantic feelings for a kid under ten years old (around eleven at the end of the series, and still a literal child in all ways) and waiting for her to age with the intention of marrying her sits totally wrong with me. Age wise I realize that Inuyasha is decades older than Kagome and that his father was much older than his mother, Izayoi, as well. The difference here is that Kagome was a teen when she met Inuyasha (who not just physically, but more importantly mentally was also a teen) and clearly Izayoi was old enough to conceive Inuyasha and give birth. As far as the audio dramas (more specifically "Asatte") go they're generally considered as an outtake reel and are essentially parodies, or a form of satire. Some will debate on this but realistically there’s plenty of reasons this is true, and those who take the time to properly check them out understand that. For me I've always had a headcanon that at some point in her teen years Rin would inevitably develop a one-sided crush on Sesshomaru and that he would ultimately set boundaries and reject her, seeing her as more of a close companion than a love interest and wanting her to live with someone she can grow old with. He gave her the choice to follow him and it's most likely that she would, but I think that once she began aging he would want her to have somewhere to settle, given that he enjoys roaming and seeking out other powerful beings to battle. It's strange to me that they decided to give Sesshomaru hanyō/half-demon children in general but based on the artwork we've seen it's fair to guess that they might have made Sesshomaru and Rin a pairing in this sequel.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I want to clarify that if you ship them together I'm not writing this here because I want to hate on your ship for no reason, or in order to create an argument on if the pairing makes sense, these are my thoughts and opinions on the matter and I’m voicing them because it’s what I believe. I already know that somebody won’t like this and will take it personally. People usually say that once Rin is an adult the pairing is acceptable but I disagree. I find it quite creepy that someone would think it would be alright for an adult to wait around for a kid to grow up with the intention to marry and/or sleep with them. Watching from a distance is the same exact thing, after making an impression on the child... let’s not normalize this. In this situation it would be grooming. We all have our own opinions when it comes to our ships and fandoms and I try to respect that but I can’t get behind this one.

Next we have the apparent lack of parental figures for the heroines. Where are the original Inuyasha characters at? Moroha's character bio says she barely knows her parents (Inuyasha and Kagome, our former main protagonists) and has been alone since she was young! It makes me think either something has happened to them or some kind of bizarre event separated them. And sorry, not related, but why does she transform by PUTTING LIPSTICK ON?? That part threw me for a loop.

When it comes to Setsuna and Towa their parents are absent too. I find it difficult to believe that Sesshomaru wouldn't keep track of his children given how he treats Rin and reacts to her going missing in any capacity. Especially if he happened to be fond of whoever their mother is. One daughter works as a taijiya/demon slayer for Kohaku and the other mysteriously transports to Kagome's era and is raised by Sota (I thought we had finished with the time jumps when the well closed but apparently not. When the Bone Eater's Well closed after Kagome's return it gave a sense of finality and closure to the story, and showed that Kagome had chosen where she was most happy and felt she belonged. I think that bringing the theme of time travel back into the sequel makes it feel repetitive, like something right out of a predictable fanfic. Props to Sota for taking in and raising a child who showed up out of nowhere though).

Another thing that came to mind when I read these character bios was why Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter and Sesshomaru's daughters are the exact same age. Of course there's nothing wrong with that. It only struck me as odd because suddenly everyone is having kids at the same time. And so far there's no mention of other characters like Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Jaken, Kaede, or Miroku or Sango's three children or where they are. One might expect that a story focused on the children of some of the original Inuyasha's main characters would feature appearances from those who had important roles in the previous series and their children. Which brings me around to wondering what made twin daughters a trend? Two sets of twin girls is a unique choice (Sango and Miroku's twin daughters. For such a small group of parental characters, what are the odds of two sets of twin girls? Where is the creativity and again why the repetition?).

Lastly, Sesshomaru's daughters lack some of the common yōkai/demon characteristics we see on Inuyasha and other characters. Their ears are human, and they have no markings or otherwise (that I noticed) with the exception of Setsuna's mokomoko/fur which is similar to Sesshomaru's. So perhaps they take more after their human mother? Given that Inuyasha seemed to inherit strong genes from his father it's interesting that they did not. Their ages also interest me as they appear to age the same way as humans do. Yōkai/demons are known to have a longer lifespan than humans and appear to slow down or almost stop aging at some point. Perhaps this confirms that the slowdown in aging occurs once they reach the equivalent of a human teen? 

Overall Inuyasha was a fantastic manga and great anime on its own, and I never got the feeling that it needed a sequel. As a stand-alone it was everything it needed to be. I thoroughly enjoyed both formats of the original, though I do have a tendency to disregard certain parts of the anime. I always preferred the manga more when the anime dragged out certain scenes (Shichinintai/Band of Seven arc for example) or straight-up excluded, changed, and added others. Taking that into consideration the sequel might end up being the same for me in that way, but rather than one scene that plays out for too long or an excluded, altered, or unnecessary added scene, if it’s not any good I’ll simply disregard it altogether. When the anime comes out I certainly plan to try watching it out of loyalty to the fandom, and due to the fact that it's "technically" canon (without Rumiko being the writer I don't necessarily consider it canon, much like how some folks do or do not consider the movies canon) but I get the feeling that I'll wind up giving up on it in disappointment.

TLDR; Overall I'm left questioning if the sequel is worth watching (for me) given what I've read and heard so far, but nonetheless I will give it an optimistic try! I'm currently wondering how much we'll see of the original Inuyasha characters, if we get to find out what happened to them, if the number one pairing I'm not fond of will make an appearance (and cause me to drop the whole thing), and questioning parts of the character backstories and designs (why is there a repetitive and recurring theme of time travel and does it end up hindering or ruining the story, why do the protagonists all lack parents, and why do the hanyō/half-demon characters lack common yōkai/demon traits and does it make them more human than demon?).

[benfchristie2]

How to Use Workplace Email Most Effectively

**Sets alarm for 6am, checks email, goes to bed**

**Wakes up to sound of alarm, turns off alarm, checks email**

Does this routine sound familiar? I can't be the only one that is nearly attached at the hip to my phone, checking email constantly. For over a decade now, email has been only of the top forms of communication for businesses.

Of course, as time and the workplace itself evolves, there's an increasing amount of internal communication options. There are apps like Slack, for example, and many people still prefer the good, old-fashioned method of having a conversation in person. But as these methods for interacting grow in number, it also becomes a bit trickier to remember the right "etiquette" for all of them.

But email hasn't exactly become a thing of the past -- yet -- it's just that many of us have forgotten the right way to use it, at least in the workplace. That's why it's as important as ever to make good, effective use of it, which means maintaining some basic do's and don'ts.

As you'll see from the list below, effective email communication means that it needs to be both relevant and appropriate, depending on its subject and importance. Read on to see the full list.

How to Use Workplace Email Most Effectively

The Do's

1) Personalize.

No matter whether it's an internal email to your best friend/co-worker, or a message full ofimportant information to a client, you should always get in the habit of addressing that person appropriately. A good rule of thumb is to address this person as you would in conversation, whether by first name or more formally.

2) Adapt.

By that, I mean: Know your recipient. Study any past emails this person has sent, recognize her tone or writing style, and adapt to that. If her emails are historically short and straight to the point, it might just mean that she's extremely busy. In that case, try and be concise in your response emails.

3) Always check before clicking "send."

This point might be the ultimate do when emailing. One of the worst feelings is clicking "send," only to realize that you missed something, didn't attach a document, or misspelled something (and hey -- we've all been there). Pro tip: To avoid these mishaps, don't put the email address in the "to" line until you've had a chance to double-check the message.

4) Keep messages short.

There's no point in fluffing an email with extraneous details -- rather, get straight to the point. An email that could double as a novella is not time-effective for the both sender or recipient. We'll leave it at that.

5) Keep your inbox clean.

We know you're out there -- the folks with unopened emails that number in the triple digits (or worse). When I imagine a horror movie that's set in a work environment, the vision of hundreds of unopened emails makes me want to sink into the couch and cover my eyes with a blanket. Clean your inbox, break up folders for different clients, and work toward diminishing the stress that can result from seeing big numbers next to your inbox button.

6) Check your email on your time.

In other words: Don't get caught in the trap o checking your email every few minutes. One of the biggest momentum killers is getting in the habit of checking your email frequently, pausing what you're working on, and having to reset your focus.

At Revenue River Marketing, we aim to check our email a total of 3-4 times each day, unless it's necessary to spend more time on it because of something urgent. That practice helps us stay engaged with content creation and client deliverables.

7) Remember that some things are better kept to yourself.

Oh, you just got back from your buddy's bachelor party in Las Vegas? Oh, you want to email me and recount the details of it that should probably never surface more than once in your life?

Stop right there. Receiving emails that fit this discription through your workplace email address is not a good idea.

That's not to say that your employer is monitoring your emails -- although, some might have the right to do so -- and maybe you work for a company that wouldn't necessary frown upon a rambunctious trip to Las Vegas. But here's a place where common sense is best practiced -- some experiences are better left remembered via personal email.

8) Use Zoom and Slack as alternatives.

Across the board, many companies are implementing video conferencing tools like Zoom, for a number of reasons. Not only do they support a global workforce, but also, it provides an alternative to email that can help clarify important connotations that are sometimes lost over email.

Instant messaging apps like Slack, too, are also growing in popularity -- not only can they help you get quicker answers from your colleagues, but also, it helps to isolate email as a more formal method of communication.

That said, it's easy for instant messaging conversations to stray from work topics -- but we're all human, and sometimes, that means sending your colleague the occasional funny GIF image. But, it still helps to reduce email clutter by sending an informal note that doesn't need to be communicated over email.

The Don'ts

1) Abbrv8 -- I mean, abbreviate.

Although we aren't ranking these tips, this one is might top the list of don'ts. Remember, no matter how laid back your workplace might be, it's still a professional setting. You might not want to get into the habit of signing emails with things like, thx, lol, or c u @ wrk l8r, only to mindlessly send an email to a client with similar vernamular. Here's a helpful resource to make sure abbreviations NEVER happen: The Slang Translator

2) !!!!!!!!!

Ahyes, another one that gives me chills every time I see it: the exclamation point. Because I am a visual person, I see the overuse of exclamation points -- or the dreaded caps lock email -- as yelling. Other people might, too. If used excessively, the exclamation point can give false expectations and look unprofessional. There is a right time for an exclamation point, but before you think about holding your fingers down on the Shift 1 keys, think about the context in which your email may be received.

3) :) or :(

This may just be me, but does anyone else get a little cringe when you see a smiley/sad face in an email? In a professional setting, much like abbreviating, it gives off the vibe of being a bittoolaid back. Keep it professional, and leave out the emoticons.

4) Send the one-word okay or thanks response.

Not to counter the point above, but while keeping messages short is ideal -- sending the dreaded, non-descriptive one-word email is not. Sometimes, people need a detailed answer. Something like content that's ready for edits, for example, can't be answered with a simple okay, so give the sender the courtesy of the answer or closure they need.

5) Use the reply-all button at will.

There comes a time in every marketer's life at which she realizes that the reply-all is rarely necessary. If you haven't learned that lesson yet, allow this post serve as it.

Replying-all to the email includes multiple people who likely don't need to be looped in on every single response in the chain. Reply only to the people who need to see your response -- their inboxes will thank you.

6) Email if you're burnt out.

It's 11:30 a.m. -- almost lunch time -- and you can practically hear your stomach yelling your name for food. Or, better yet, you just surfaced from your computer screen after writing several blog posts in a row, and your eyes are all but glazed over. But then you remember that you need to send a work email; one that requires serious thought, and wonder, "Should I just get this over with now?"

No.

Take a deep breath, stand up, take a lap, and get some water. There are so many instances where an important email should wait -- based on your current level of patience or stress. After you take a break, determine if you feel level-headed enough to send a clear and thought-out email.

Let's face it: We've all broken at least one of these rules. But next time you find yourself tempted to repeat it, take a step back from the keyboard -- and think about this list.

[jasonmkemp4]

How to Use Workplace Email Most Effectively

**Sets alarm for 6am, checks email, goes to bed**

**Wakes up to sound of alarm, turns off alarm, checks email**

Does this routine sound familiar? I can't be the only one that is nearly attached at the hip to my phone, checking email constantly. For over a decade now, email has been only of the top forms of communication for businesses.

Of course, as time and the workplace itself evolves, there's an increasing amount of internal communication options. There are apps like Slack, for example, and many people still prefer the good, old-fashioned method of having a conversation in person. But as these methods for interacting grow in number, it also becomes a bit trickier to remember the right "etiquette" for all of them.

But email hasn't exactly become a thing of the past -- yet -- it's just that many of us have forgotten the right way to use it, at least in the workplace. That's why it's as important as ever to make good, effective use of it, which means maintaining some basic do's and don'ts.

As you'll see from the list below, effective email communication means that it needs to be both relevant and appropriate, depending on its subject and importance. Read on to see the full list.

How to Use Workplace Email Most Effectively

The Do's

1) Personalize.

No matter whether it's an internal email to your best friend/co-worker, or a message full ofimportant information to a client, you should always get in the habit of addressing that person appropriately. A good rule of thumb is to address this person as you would in conversation, whether by first name or more formally.

2) Adapt.

By that, I mean: Know your recipient. Study any past emails this person has sent, recognize her tone or writing style, and adapt to that. If her emails are historically short and straight to the point, it might just mean that she's extremely busy. In that case, try and be concise in your response emails.

3) Always check before clicking "send."

This point might be the ultimate do when emailing. One of the worst feelings is clicking "send," only to realize that you missed something, didn't attach a document, or misspelled something (and hey -- we've all been there). Pro tip: To avoid these mishaps, don't put the email address in the "to" line until you've had a chance to double-check the message.

4) Keep messages short.

There's no point in fluffing an email with extraneous details -- rather, get straight to the point. An email that could double as a novella is not time-effective for the both sender or recipient. We'll leave it at that.

5) Keep your inbox clean.

We know you're out there -- the folks with unopened emails that number in the triple digits (or worse). When I imagine a horror movie that's set in a work environment, the vision of hundreds of unopened emails makes me want to sink into the couch and cover my eyes with a blanket. Clean your inbox, break up folders for different clients, and work toward diminishing the stress that can result from seeing big numbers next to your inbox button.

6) Check your email on your time.

In other words: Don't get caught in the trap o checking your email every few minutes. One of the biggest momentum killers is getting in the habit of checking your email frequently, pausing what you're working on, and having to reset your focus.

At Revenue River Marketing, we aim to check our email a total of 3-4 times each day, unless it's necessary to spend more time on it because of something urgent. That practice helps us stay engaged with content creation and client deliverables.

7) Remember that some things are better kept to yourself.

Oh, you just got back from your buddy's bachelor party in Las Vegas? Oh, you want to email me and recount the details of it that should probably never surface more than once in your life?

Stop right there. Receiving emails that fit this discription through your workplace email address is not a good idea.

That's not to say that your employer is monitoring your emails -- although, some might have the right to do so -- and maybe you work for a company that wouldn't necessary frown upon a rambunctious trip to Las Vegas. But here's a place where common sense is best practiced -- some experiences are better left remembered via personal email.

8) Use Zoom and Slack as alternatives.

Across the board, many companies are implementing video conferencing tools like Zoom, for a number of reasons. Not only do they support a global workforce, but also, it provides an alternative to email that can help clarify important connotations that are sometimes lost over email.

Instant messaging apps like Slack, too, are also growing in popularity -- not only can they help you get quicker answers from your colleagues, but also, it helps to isolate email as a more formal method of communication.

That said, it's easy for instant messaging conversations to stray from work topics -- but we're all human, and sometimes, that means sending your colleague the occasional funny GIF image. But, it still helps to reduce email clutter by sending an informal note that doesn't need to be communicated over email.

The Don'ts

1) Abbrv8 -- I mean, abbreviate.

Although we aren't ranking these tips, this one is might top the list of don'ts. Remember, no matter how laid back your workplace might be, it's still a professional setting. You might not want to get into the habit of signing emails with things like, thx, lol, or c u @ wrk l8r, only to mindlessly send an email to a client with similar vernamular. Here's a helpful resource to make sure abbreviations NEVER happen: The Slang Translator

2) !!!!!!!!!

Ahyes, another one that gives me chills every time I see it: the exclamation point. Because I am a visual person, I see the overuse of exclamation points -- or the dreaded caps lock email -- as yelling. Other people might, too. If used excessively, the exclamation point can give false expectations and look unprofessional. There is a right time for an exclamation point, but before you think about holding your fingers down on the Shift 1 keys, think about the context in which your email may be received.

3) :) or :(

This may just be me, but does anyone else get a little cringe when you see a smiley/sad face in an email? In a professional setting, much like abbreviating, it gives off the vibe of being a bittoolaid back. Keep it professional, and leave out the emoticons.

4) Send the one-word okay or thanks response.

Not to counter the point above, but while keeping messages short is ideal -- sending the dreaded, non-descriptive one-word email is not. Sometimes, people need a detailed answer. Something like content that's ready for edits, for example, can't be answered with a simple okay, so give the sender the courtesy of the answer or closure they need.

5) Use the reply-all button at will.

There comes a time in every marketer's life at which she realizes that the reply-all is rarely necessary. If you haven't learned that lesson yet, allow this post serve as it.

Replying-all to the email includes multiple people who likely don't need to be looped in on every single response in the chain. Reply only to the people who need to see your response -- their inboxes will thank you.

6) Email if you're burnt out.

It's 11:30 a.m. -- almost lunch time -- and you can practically hear your stomach yelling your name for food. Or, better yet, you just surfaced from your computer screen after writing several blog posts in a row, and your eyes are all but glazed over. But then you remember that you need to send a work email; one that requires serious thought, and wonder, "Should I just get this over with now?"

No.

Take a deep breath, stand up, take a lap, and get some water. There are so many instances where an important email should wait -- based on your current level of patience or stress. After you take a break, determine if you feel level-headed enough to send a clear and thought-out email.

Let's face it: We've all broken at least one of these rules. But next time you find yourself tempted to repeat it, take a step back from the keyboard -- and think about this list.